Yes, maybe if you don’t like to use dirty words, it’s not very interesting. But I think it’s a great way to make yourself feel more Chinese. (I’m always searching for ways to feel more Chinese! Who isn’t, really?) Swear like the locals!

Hey, did you know that my sister is a charity case? Yep, the media is even covering her sob story:

Fundraising via the internet is being touted as the future of charity. At realitycharity.com, you can share your ailment online and see who feels sympathetic.
…
Not all appeals are successful: McCann-Swanson, a 30-year-old from Wisconsin, has more than met her target in just four weeks, but countless others – such as Sarah Jenkins from Chesham in Buckinghamshire, looking for $60,000 (£30,000) to clear her student loans – have yet to raise a penny.

Today I went to buy birth control pills (避孕药 bi4 yun4 yao4) and the pharmacist tried to sell me a different version of the pill called Minulet, 敏定偶 (min3 ding4 ou3).

I decided to buy my regular pill, Marvelon (吗富隆, ma3 fu4 long2) because it’s not a good idea to switch birth control pills just like that. But anyway I did a little research into Minulet when I got home. Like Marvelon, Minulet is mono-phasic, meaning each pill contains the same dose. This kind of pill is also called a “combination pill” because it contains a combination of estrogen and progestin. (It’s not the “minipill,” a progestin-only pill.) (Source: Go Ask Alice)

HEY! Before you start taking any birth control, you should consult with your doctor. Side effects can be severe and people with certain medical conditions should avoid taking the pill. And remember, the pill can prevent pregnancy, but it CANNOT PROTECT YOU AGAINST SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES INCLUDING HIV/AIDS.

It was parked outside Salvador’s Coffee Shop on Wednesday night (while we were having July 4th festivities) and someone managed to smash into it, bending the front tire to hell. Since it wouldn’t turn, I had to lift the front end and wheel it home on the back tire. Bruised my arm up in the process. Thursday I took the bus, and then Friday morning I dropped the bike off at the fancy bike shop on 一二一 (Yi1 Er4 Yi1) across from main gate of 师大 (Shi1 Da4). I ended up paying an exorbitant 50元 for the repair, but oh well. Anyway, it’s fixed now.

Well, next week is the end of classes. Sounds like our remaining class time will be used learning Mahjong and discussing some Chinese history. Only two of us are taking the exam, so our teacher sent it home with us to complete at our leisure. Yeah, 东方 (Dong1 Fang1) isn’t exactly the pinnacle of rigorous Chinese language learning institutions.

Yesterday, my friend Jessie introduced me to a secondhand clothes market here in Kunming. I hesitate to mention it, because everyone I tell seems to be totally grossed-out by the notion of secondhand clothes in China. Even (maybe especially) Chinese people. Anyway, I recommend it. It’s very similar in quality and cleanliness to most thrift stores in the US. It’s set up as a cluster of small storefronts. Everything is on hangers and organized by style or size. Mostly out of style, slightly strange clothing. The best part, though, is that it has a surprising amount of Western brands and (more spectacularly) sizes. I have Western hips, and so it can be frustrating trying to find a good fit. But really it was not an issue at this market. They even have some vintage stuff, which is fun! Prices are incredible. A few stalls had a pile of clothes for 1 yuan: “Yi kuai maaaaadness!” A lot of stalls had racks of clothes — skirts, shirts, jeans — for 5 or 10 yuan.

How do you get there? Hmmm… northeast of the intersection of 人民西路 and 二环西路, it’s on 茭菱路 (jiao1ling2 lu4) just west of the slightly smaller drag 近华浦路 (Jin4hua4pu3 Lu4). It’s on the 85 bus line. I think the bus stop is called 丰宁小区 (Feng1ning2 Xiao3qu4).